Why evidence is important

Herbie Gomez

ONLY the stupid would believe an assertion without an iota of evidence.

I can’t wait to read a report about the evidence against the five police generals linked to the illegal drug trade. To my disappointment, I came across none as of this writing. What I hear are nothing but sketchy stories about two of the five generals, probably a mixture of truth and untruth, passed around by word of mouth. Such stories qualify only as hearsay. I also see netizens linking the generals to a defeated presidential candidate and the fishy Novotel gathering shortly before the elections.

Okay, so the generals were or are partisans. But why is that evidence of drug connections?

That Novotel gathering merely suggests that the police generals were partisans, and that they may have supported one of the President’s rivals. Now, that is suspect. If the President’s pronouncements were based on highly reliable information which many are guessing was likely the case, and given that he already named and disgraced these generals in public—and shamed their families—it would only be proper for him to give details. That would only be fair.

A May 6 article by former North Cotabato governor and the now Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol that was made to pass off as journalism quoted unnamed officers in the National Police as pointing their accusing fingers at Marcelo Garbo, one of the generals named by President Duterte last week. Note that the article was written barely a week before the elections by a political propagandist who was subsequently rewarded with a Cabinet post.

Based on Piñol’s pre-election day article, Garbo was already retired when the supposed Novotel gathering of generals took place apparently for an election plot. Again, that only suggests partisanship on the part of the supposed participants. Garbo however cannot be held liable for being openly partisan at that time for the simple reason that he was already retired when it took place. As for his alleged drug connections, the article neither provided evidence nor details—just unnamed sources who alleged that Garbo did this and that.

If there is truth that he had drug links, he probably deserves last week’s public humiliation and disgrace. But what if he was just a partisan but really had no drug connections?

Given that their names were made public, citizens should be demanding to see some evidence which, until now, has not been presented.

The problem with saying that the accuser is probably correct is that he could probably be wrong, too. You see, it works either way.

Suppose Malacañang says the moon is made of green cheese. Would such assertion make it green cheese then?

While President Duterte is a lawyer and a former prosecutor at that, his credentials don’t give him presidential infallibility. Come to think of it—when was the last time he lawyered for someone in court or successfully prosecuted a criminal? Let me point out that curriculum vitae is not a substitute for evidence. When an accusation requires evidence, don’t cite the accuser’s CV.

Neither is the chart of an alleged drug network evidence. It is a mere drawing on a piece of paper. Until we see some proof, citizens should hold back judgment.

Point is, our society should be intolerant of burning citizens at the stake even before anyone could show evidence regardless of who made the assertion.

Three of the alleged top drugs lords in the country have been identified. Well and good. Two of them are already in the Bilibid. The third one is out of the country. Chances are, he will never be caught because the President has threatened to kill him the moment he steps on Philippine soil.

The third “drug lord” should be thankful for the heads up. What sort of criminal or who in his right mind would dare return after receiving a presidential threat like that?

But wait a minute. Who else would authorities arrest when two of them are already in prison while the other is abroad? The tentacles? The small fries? The “lowlifes”? The partisans?

The two who are in the Bilibid shouldn’t be posing problems. All the government has to do is to make sure they are treated like the rest of the inmates. No communication with the outside world, and no VIP treatment. Why is that a problem? How difficult is that?

Pastilan.